Kamal Bankay, chairman of Dream Entertainment, says the party series is looking forward to bringing Dream Weekend to Malta in September, to cater to their European patrons who have always made the effort to attend Jamaican stagings.

“If you think about Dream Weekend, our core audience is always made up of 60 per cent of international patrons. The largest amount comes from New York and the second-largest market is from UK. So we said, they come to Jamaica all the time, but how do we service them a little better. We did a bunch of research and found that people love to party where they can guarantee the weather. In the UK, the weather is unpredictable, but we were looking at places that can capture the essence of Dream Weekend. Malta is apart of the EU (European Union) and it mimics the island vibe that Jamaica offers with lovely beaches and weather. It has a wonderful backdrop…We wanted to take it somewhere that was accessible to the vast amount of UK patrons, but where the (tropical) weather was guaranteed,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Dream Weekend Malta will run from September 8 to 11. Featured performers will be Popcaan, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Ding Dong, Kranium, Alicai Harley, Black Sherif, Ruger, Shaybo, and Kojo Funds.

The Jamaican staging will be between July 29-August 1 in Negril. Last year was the first time the entity went international by hosting Dream Weekend New York.

Bankay noted that the planning for Malta’s edition has been made easier by partnerships formed in the island nation.

“What we find is that we exist with great partnerships, whether internally or externally. They know how the logistics work and have been critical in the decision-making and the overall planning and execution process,” he said.

The island-state of Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy); it consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino, of which Malta is the largest island.

The chairman says Dream is testing the waters and hopes to host international stagings each year.

“We hope to grow small festivals into medium-sized festivals into mega festivals. We know that we will have to plan and execute this, but the ultimate hope is that there will be a slice of Dream Weekend in various countries, in the future,” he said.

Bankay said the Dream experience is much more than just attending parties.

“What we build our brand around is a fully immersive experience. Our destination product is like you take over all over the town. The experience doesn’t just happen at the actual events, but at your own hotel because you’re staying with other dreamers. It happens on the journey there; whether it’s on coaster buses or you’re travelling together in a car. When you’re eating at a restaurant and you see other people with the same armband, it build camaraderie and hopefully making lifelong partnerships,” he told the Observer.